The attractive market town and commercial centre of Barnstaple is the oldest and largest town in North Devon, nestling in the Taw valley.
Barnstaple offers a unique mix of traditional and fashionable shopping, with a range of small family run businesses and friendly branches including most major retail outlets. The historic Pannier Market offers crafts, antiques and local produce and nearby Butchers Row has a number of excellent greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers and bakers. Add in Green Lanes Shopping Centre and Barnstaple has all you need to shop until you drop.
The town is also a centre for heritage. The Saxons first settled in Barnstaple (Barum) almost 1000 years ago and by medieval times it had grown in to a busy and prosperous port with a considerable trade in wool.
Much of the architecture from these times remains. The long bridge, crossing the River Taw, was thought to have been built in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Barnstaple has received more prestigious awards for its floral displays than any other town in the country, including ‘Entente Florale’, ‘Nations’ and ‘World in Bloom’ winners. A visit to North Devon would not be complete without taking a walk along the town’s floral trail.